Women in 20th Century Canadian Society: Social Change

The Domestic Expectations Placed on Canadian Women

Twentieth-century Canadian society placed women within restrictive conventions and norms. There was a very pronounced domestic expectation that women would hold jobs or careers, but only until they married. Once married, the expectation was that they would abandon their careers to become housewives, working within the domestic sphere of the home—cooking, cleaning, and tending to the general needs of the family. During this period, the husband and father was understood to be the man of the house and the sole financial provider, or "breadwinner," for the family.

Given the narrowness of existence imposed on these women and how limited their choices were, their reactions to this type of domestic captivity were highly diverse. Some women responded to the limiting social conventions by conforming to the expectations placed upon them, while others made great effort to expand their horizons and possibilities by taking jobs outside the home. There was literally no single, static pattern to how women responded to the social constraints placed upon them.

Conformity and Social Norms in Children's Play

The excerpt from the primary source "I Played Lady with Some Little Friends" by Dorothy May King demonstrates that the social restrictions and expectations placed on women were so pervasive they had trickled down to young girls, who manifested these expectations within their games and during playtime. It is common for children to play by imitating the adults around them; in this manner, children act like little parrots, mimicking the adult world that surrounds them. The young girls in this excerpt demonstrate how they imitated the social constraints placed on women by recreating them in play, and thereby normalizing them.

The women in the excerpt would lift up their skirts, most likely for two reasons. The first was to make sure the hems of their skirts did not get muddy or trampled when crossing the street. The other reason was most likely to put themselves on display: when walking down the street, they had the attention of men, and by lifting their skirts slightly, they were almost presenting themselves as a commodity, as doing so "would show off her figure nicely" (204).¹

The excerpt demonstrates how these social constraints had been so deeply internalized that women were almost treating themselves as a product or good to be displayed, one that had to be protected by walking with a chaperone. The women walked in pairs because there was likely a social convention of the time dictating that a woman could not be unaccompanied in public. This practice can also be interpreted as a form of infantilization, forcing the expectation of "the buddy system" upon women. This source demonstrates the sheer and utter conformity toward established femininity: it shows that women embraced and accepted the role of being feminine, of being perceived as "weaker," and of needing a companion in public.

Resistance Through Work: Marie Joussaye Fotheringham's Poetry

In the poem "Only a Working Girl" by Marie Joussaye Fotheringham, the author demonstrates how she responds to the norm that women should not be permanent working members of society, and how she views her ability to work as a source of immense pride. As noted above, the intense social constraints on women revolved around the expectation that they would work only for a finite period—until they married. For a woman to work indefinitely, or for her entire life, and to be happy about it, was an intense subversion of social norms.

Fotheringham responds to these social constraints by ignoring them and clearly stating that she does not care if people find her lifestyle strange or if her choices mean that she "belongs to the 'lower classes.'"² She chose a poem as her medium because poetry best demonstrates the beauty and grace she found in the life choices she had made. The poem carries a sense of vividness and melody that imprints her choices with a sense of beauty. It is written both for those who condemn her choices and for those who share them: it serves as a rebuttal to all who deem her lower class, and as a source of encouragement for women who struggle with similar life choices—they, too, can celebrate their independence. The poem functions as a form of resistance precisely because it celebrates often-maligned and scorned choices of the working woman.

The Great War as a Catalyst for Women's Liberation

The Great War offered many women an opportunity to break free of the massive social constraints they had been placed under. Prior to the war, women were defined and confined by what was known as the "cult of domesticity," and opportunities to work outside of the domestic sphere were very few.³ As one historian notes, "The Great War… was to give many women the opportunity—in many cases the necessity—to move out of a familiar environment, that even when typing and shorthand were involved, was essentially an extension of their homes."⁴ This indicates that the war represented an opportunity for many women to expand the boundaries of their own lives and to discover new possibilities.

"A sociological and psychic change had already taken place: the war had liberated many women from their own hearth."⁵ This observation demonstrates that the war transformed the opportunities available to women, freeing them from the confines of domestic work. "Old-fashioned views about women's work were challenged and public opinion began to accept that perhaps women had a right to earn their own living, and indeed, could make vital contributions to the economy."⁶ In this sense, the war represented a paradigm shift and demonstrated that women could be valuable members of society who contributed directly to the economy—a direct challenge to the prevailing image of the typical woman. During the war, women responded to their circumstances by taking on the jobs of their husbands, not merely to earn money, but as a means of breaking free from social constraints.

Conclusion

The social conventions of the era created many constraints for women during this period. The manner in which women responded to these constraints was as varied as the women themselves. Some seized emerging opportunities as a way to forge a higher degree of freedom for themselves. Other women only reluctantly engaged in work outside the domestic sphere, still believing that "men's jobs" belonged to men. This period was instrumental in forming rights for women and greater liberties, eventually leading to the appointment of the first female senator in 1929.

From the research conducted, many of the nuances surrounding women's responses to social constraint in early twentieth-century Canada become clear. Of course, it is impossible to comprehend fully how every woman in Canada felt about the particular restrictions she faced. Nevertheless, the sources examined—ranging from children's play and working-class poetry to wartime labour debates and landmark legal petitions—collectively illuminate the remarkable diversity of women's experiences and responses during this transformative period in Canadian women's history.

Bibliography

Frager, Ruth A., and Carmela Patrias. Discounted Labour: Women Workers in Canada, 1870–1939. Vol. 8. University of Toronto Press, 2005.

Glassford, Sarah, and Amy Shaw, eds. A Sisterhood of Suffering and Service: Women and Girls of Canada and Newfoundland during the First World War. University of British Columbia Press, 2012.

Goyette, Linda, and Carolina Jakeway Roemmich. Edmonton in Our Own Words. University of Alberta Press, 2005.

Gwyn, Sandra. Tapestry of War: A Private View of Canadians in the Great War. Toronto: HarperCollins, 1992.

Joussaye, Marie. The Songs that Quinte Sang. Belleville: Sun, 1895: 66–67.

Kealey, Linda. Enlisting Women for the Cause: Women, Labour, and the Left in Canada, 1890–1920. Vol. 8. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998.

Lowe, Graham S. Women in the Administrative Revolution: The Feminization of Clerical Work. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1987.

MacIvor, Heather. Women and Politics in Canada. Orchard Park: Broadview Press, 1996.

Street, Kori. "Patriotic, Not Permanent: Attitudes about Women's Making Bombs and Being Bankers." A Sisterhood of Suffering and Service (2012): 148–170.